Pure Beauty
by 212scarlettanne
Summary: Set in an AU where there are 4 Crawley sisters and Thomas is Bi-Sexual. Thomas and the youngest Crawley are friendly and eventually become more, but how will it last in the turbulent times. Set partially during Seasons 3 and 4 but quite AU.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading my story! This is the first fiction that I have ever posted. I realize this story is starting out VERY slow and I'm sorry but just want to see if anybody else is interested.  
>This is based in an AU where there are 4 Crawley sisters and Thomas is BI. Hope you enjoy! <p>

**Pure Beauty**  
>Chapter 1: <p>

The sun had barely crested the horizon when Scarlett Anne Crawley, Fourth Daughter of the Earl of Grantham padded silently down the hall steps in her most precious home Downton Abbey. As soon as she reached the bottom she took off for the morning room and the door that led out onto the grounds behind the Abbey. As soon as she relatched the garden door and her socked feet touched the damp grass she hastily dumped her boots on the ground and yanked them on. Supple and comfortable from near constant use, they pulled on easily and she took off at a very unladylike sprint across the grass.

Thomas had not slept the night before and so he leaned against the wall outside the kitchen long before anyone but the scullery maids and the hall boys would be down working and enjoyed his early morning (and blessedly) quiet smoke. He watched a familiar blonde blur race across the drive on its way to the stables with no thought to anything else along the way. Much to both her parents' (and Mr. Carson's) chagrin the youngest Crawley daughter was headstrong, wild, and certainly the most fun out of any of the upstairs family. Thomas took a few more deep drags on his cigarette and watched the sun fully rise over the land of Downton and saw the mist slowly vanish as the sun touched it and the tree tops on its way up. The kitchen door opened and Daisy stuck her head out telling his breakfast was on the table and he better hurry or Mr. Carson would miss him. Just as he stubbed the last of his cigarette out he saw a black horse gallop away from the stables and off towards Downton's woods.

"Now, we have quite the preparations to be starting on with the wedding being so near upon us," began Mr. Carson as they all quickly tucked into their breakfasts. "We have several of the county families coming to dine tonight as well as Lady Rosamund who will be arriving to stay until the wedding. Anna, I trust that you can still manage Lady Mary and Lady Scarlett both."

"Yes of course Mr. Carson."

"I realize that Lady Scarlett can be a handful occasionally, but I am confident in your abilities."

Everyone at the table stared pointedly at the table and secretly shook their heads knowing that no matter what either Lady Scarlett or Lady Mary did the two sisters were Mr. Carson's absolute favorite family members.

-

Mary's bedroom door opened slowly to reveal her youngest sister in all of her disheveled glory. "Well there is certainly no need to ask where you have been this morning," said Mary as her sister came in and sat down on a chair behind her. "You really mustn't antagonize Papa so much."

Mary watched her sister shrug in the mirror and she sighed gently. Even she could be headstrong at the best of times, but Sybil and now Scarlett were truly testing the family's patience, particularly their mother's.

"Are you going down to meet Aunt Rosamund at the station or waiting with all of us up here?"

"I will wait here with everyone else as I am sure that by the time I have gotten ready she will be nearly here."

Mary nodded and Scarlett arose and led the way with Anna out the door.

-

An hour later and the family and staff stood waiting for Lady Rosamund Painswick as the car slowly ambled up the drive.

"Can that car drive any slower?," whispered Jimmy into Thomas' ear.

Thomas' lips twitched ever so slightly at this but his eyes never moved from their position straight ahead. Mr. Carson hadn't heard Jimmy's whisper (which was often not quiet enough to count as a whisper) which was good for both of them. The usual grand fuss was made for a new guest although the greeting between Lord and Lady Grantham and his sister appeared to be very strained. Thomas glanced one last time over the family before turning and following Jimmy back into the melee that was the downstairs of a Downton Abbey dinner party preparation. 

**Reviews are appreciated... Any feedback is good feedback. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Pure Beauty**  
><strong>Chapter 2<strong> 

The county dinner to celebrate the impending marriage of Matthew and Mary was a long and arduous affair with all the women wanting to talk wedding plans and the men county politics and sport. As the women left for the drawing room Scarlett touched her mother's arm lightly and asked to be excused for a short while to which her mother nodded and continued on with the other ladies.

Scarlett snuck out her usual escape route and meandered down the drive and around to the back of the house. Sure enough Thomas stood just around the corner from the back door smoking in the few minutes he had before he had to be back upstairs.

"Slacking on the job Mr. Barrow?"

Thomas started and looked up to see Scarlett leaning against the wall smirking at him.

"Not at all milady, neither his Lordship nor Mr. Carson has need of me at present and my other duties are finished as well."

"Mhm... Have another one of those?"

Thomas nodded when she indicated the cigarette in his hand. He reached his gloved hand into his breast pocket and pulled one from the pack inside. He handed it to her and lit it with his silver lighter.

"You don't normally smoke milady," said Thomas with a raised eyebrow as he watched with an expectation that she would begin coughing immediately.

"Oh there is much you do not know Mr. Barrow," she responded with a sultry smirk as she took a long drag on the cigarette and blew it out slowly as they locked eyes.

"Well you are a woman after my own heart then."

She laughed softly, " Mhm.. it is good to know that my only competition is Mrs. O'Brien then."

Thomas' features twisted in disgust as Scarlett laughed even harder. They smoked in silence for a few minutes before she turned fully to face Thomas.

"You have been keeping me woefully ignorant of all the gossip and goings on below stairs. I've missed our conversations."

"Very little has been going on milady other than the normal flirtations between the kitchen maids and Alfred."

"And I am sure Mrs. O'Brien is stirring up trouble as usual."

Thomas smirked, " I did not say it milady."

They shared a smile before Scarlett looked down and dropped her cigarette on the ground.

"Good night Mr. Barrow. I hope to see you tomorrow."

"Aye milady, I am sure you will." 

Dawn broke on Mary and Matthew's grand day and Scarlett lay in bed waiting for Anna to bring a small breakfast before dressing her. It was odd not having having the freedom of the morning, but Papa had placed a hall boy outside her door to keep her from escaping. Two hours later and Scarlett looked at herself in the mirror. The odd one out in the family with clear, cold blue eyes that changed color with her mood and blonde hair that curled naturally allowed her the individuality in a group of sisters where she might have been overshadowed, but today was Mary's day and she was actually quite excited to see her sister marry her true love. She thanked Anna and waited a few minutes before leaving to join her sisters.

A beautiful ceremony, many happy returns, and a trip back to Downton for the wedding breakfast concluded the day. Carson, Alfred, and Thomas all rotated silently in sync around the guests at breakfast and it went perfectly.

-

Many months passed with many small disasters causing Lord Grantham's temper to be tried, but it was nothing compared to the terrible night of Sybil's death where nothing would ever be the same again. Lord Grantham had hired a special London doctor much to the consternation of Lady Grantham and Scarlett both. He was pompous and brusque to everyone besides Lord Grantham and Sybil. He and Doctor Clarkson began to disagree on Sybil's health, but nevertheless after several hours of hard labor later and Sybil gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They all admired the little girl and Scarlett had turned to leave Sybil to rest when Sybil called her name softly.

"What is it my dear? You need to rest, we can talk in the morning after you have had a night's sleep."

"Scarlett, we have always gotten on so well and I want you to do that with Edith also. Please do this for me, I know you adore Mary but Edith is sweet in her own way too. Please do this and show my daughter how sisterly love is to be."

Scarlett listened to her sister's hoarse and catching voice with rapt attention before nodding and agreeing before telling her to rest again and adjusting her blanket and leaving the bedroom. The night turned long and soon everyone in the family was rudely awakened as Sybil took the final turn for the worst and the disagreement between Dr. Clarkson and Sir Phillip spilled into the upper hallway as everyone argued and chose sides between the doctors. A piercing yell from Sybil caused them all to turn and rush back to her bedside. A din erupted as soon as they all crowded into the room and all too soon Sybil's final wrenching breath fled her body and Tom collapsed on her begging her to come back.

The tears and shouts from Tom magnified inside Scarlett's head and she felt wetness sliding down her own cheeks as she wrenched her arm from Edith's grip and ran into the door in her haste to open it and escape from the black cloud of death that pulled her lungs and constricted her throat. She tripped down the stairs and out the front door unaware of anything but the tightness in her chest and the fog in her head. Unconsciously she ended up outside the servant's door in the fog and mist. No one was there and she waited by the door as though waiting for a sign. Time passed but she had no idea how long she stood there until a sliver of light settled on her face and she dimly heard an exclamation.

"Oh milady! What on earth can you be doin out here. Please come inside quickly."

The young kitchen maid gently led Scarlett into the main servant's hall when another voice cut sounded and cut through the fog in her head slightly.

"Now what's all this about?"

"Oh Mr. Barrow, I was just out to get the milk when I found Lady Scarlett just outside the kitchen door."

Thomas listened calmly while he took in Scarlett's bedraggled appearance. "Go upstairs and fetch Anna this instant." The maid dithered and looked uncertain before Thomas' venom erupted as he bellowed, "Go get her now!"

Thomas might not like Anna, but he knew that whatever his personal feelings were he could not take care of Scarlett alone. He knelt beside where she rested in a chair and gently lifted her chin to see how much damage was done. Her now dull blue eyes slowly took in Thomas' strained face and eyes shot with red from crying intermittently for many hours. No words passed between them, but they did not look away from each other until Anna appeared.

"Oh milady whatever happened to you?"

"One of the kitchen maids appears to have found her outside in the pouring rain and she not or will not say a word."

When Thomas first started speaking Anna seemed bowled over that he would answer for her but by the end she seemed quite recovered.

"Quickly, let's get her upstairs, warmed up, dried off, and tucked into bed. I will need your help if you would not mind Mr. Barrow."

"Not at all."

Between them they supported Scarlett upstairs and into bed with none of the rest of the house being any the wiser. Thomas waited at the door while Anna took care of Scarlett and was still waiting when Anna reappeared.

"I am very grateful for your help Mr. Barrow. Do you think sleeping tonight will help her out of this trance-like state she seems to be in?"

Thomas paused before answering as they descended the final steps back into the servant's quarters. "I saw many en at the hospital with similar symptoms. Not many made it, but she is young, strong, and beautiful so I have no doubt she will pull through."

Anna squinted a little at Thomas to gauge his sincerity before answering, " Well I do hope your faith is rewarded as there is truly a heart inside that chest Thomas Barrow and this house has seen more than its fair share of heartbreak and death."

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! My muse has completely changed this story from where I thought it would go, but I am very excited! **  
><strong> Reviews are so appreciated! Any Feedback is Good Feedback!<strong> 


	3. Chapter 3

Sybil's funeral and the days afterward passed with agonizing slowness for Scarlett and the rest of the Crawley family. A silence had descended on the house even as a baby's wail pierced the muted air inside of the Abbey. Thomas was never able to see Lady Scarlett as she never left the upstairs of the house, but he went out to see her most precious possession, her beautiful horse, every single day to make sure he was cared for and at night he snuck out and rode him for her.

Not long after he had been kicked out of his father's house for showing signs of his 'unusual nature' he had first found a job as a young man working in a livery barn as a groom and exercise rider. He had loved that job more than anything in the world until he had come here and met Lady Scarlett. Downton had certainly become his home in the 10 years that he had been here, but he knew that he could leave tomorrow and go somewhere else as long as he could see her face everyday for the rest of his life. When he had first met her she was 8 years old and a handful even then. She was just so headstrong with a zeal for life that he had simply never seen in anyone before. She spent almost every light minute of the day in the stables helping the stable boys, grooms, and coachmen to take care of the horses much to the consternation of her Mother even then. Nothing could ever tempt her to come back inside and learn to be a lady with her sisters, she was much too content to spend her days in the muck and smell of the barns. Thomas had heard from Lady Grantham many times the same complaint that it was Lord Grantham's fault that her youngest daughter was a heathen. Lord Grantham had taken her out to the stables for the first time when she was just 6 months old and had bought her her first pony at 2 years old, and the rest was history as they say. The first time Thomas had really spoken to her was when she was 8 years old and needed an escort out to the stables. He had been walking through the foyer towards the downstairs and had seen the young girl heading down the front steps.

Is there something I can help you with milady," he asked as she made it to the bottom step and seemed to take a breather for a second.

Her big blue eyes looked up at him and she looked confused for a second before she began speaking very quickly, " Are you new? I haven't seen you before. I need someone to take me out to the stables and watch me and my pony jump. Will you? Poppa was supposed to take me but he left this morning and didn't tell me goodbye."

Thomas was shocked at the speed of the little girl's speech but answered every question patiently (which was unusual for him). "Yes, I am new here. I started this week as a new footman. I don't know if I can take you, we would have to ask Mr. Carson if it would be alright and I'm sorry your Father wasn't able to see you today, I'm sure he had something unexpected come up and had to leave." Thomas could not believe that someone would leave this precious little girl without saying goodbye to her when it was clear that she loved him with her whole entire heart. "Let us go find Mr. Carson then shall we and see what he says, I think he is in the dining room."

The little girl stuck her hand out and looked at him with those big blue eyes until he took her hand and slowed his steps to match her as they went on a quest to find Mr. Carson. It was clear the moment that he saw Carson talk to a young Scarlett that she was the daughter that he never had and he loved her the most out of the entire household. He had allowed Thomas to escort Scarlett and watch as long as he went along too to supervise. The little girl had beamed and held out her other hand for him to take which he did with a kind smile and allowed her to lead both men towards her true home.

"Is everything alight Mr. Barrow?"

Thomas started from his peaceful reverie as he heard a voice across from him at the servant's breakfast table. He looked up to see Mrs. Hughes gazing at him in concern before he forced a neutral expression and nodded to say he was fine.

"I'm sure it is just this dreadful feeling that has enveloped this house, we really must find some way to get some life back into here especially among the daughters of this house."

"We will have none of that Mrs. Pattmore, this house had seen too much tragedy and illness and everyone deserves the right to grieve," said Mr. Carson in a tone that booked no argument.

Mrs. Pattmore ignored that tone and replied anyway, "I realize that Mr. Carson but we can't go on like this forever, something must be done to help jerk them out of this melancholy especially for Mr. Branson and the child's sake."

After this statement Mrs. Pattmore retreated back to her domain to leave everyone else to ponder her wise words. Anna and Thomas alone knew how true these words were. Anna saw the deadness in Lady Scarlett's eyes and the unease in Lady Mary each and everyday as she tended to them. Lady Mary wanted so desperately to be happy with Matthew, which she was, but she was afraid to be honest with her feelings as the family still was distraught over Sybil and her parents were fighting. Never before had Lord and Lady Grantham so blatantly been hostile towards each other during their marriage and it was a new experience so see it even over meals together as a family.

Anna finished breakfast and headed up to Lady Scarlett as soon as the bell went. She carried with her a little breakfast that she knew Lady Scarlett wouldn't eat, but she would try every single day anyway. As soon as Anna opened the curtains and turned backe towards the four-poster bed she was pleased to see that Lady Scarlett was sitting up in the bed and had a book beside her. While she looked as though she had not slept all night, it was good to see that she was awake and much more alert than she had been in weeks.

"Anna, could you please lay out my stable dress and prepare me a bath, I want to sit up a little while today and would like clothes that are more comfortable."

"Very good milady," replied Anna with a small smile. It was good to see Lady Scarlett with a little life again.

This terrible tragedy had brought one glaring fact to light though about Lady Scarlett. The entire household prayed that the day never came when anything ever happened to Lady Mary as she was Lady Scarlett's favorite sister and that might kill her since this was what had befallen her with her second favorite sister.

After a long bath and Anna dressing her in her favorite 'stable' dress she sat in the window bench and looked across the grounds. After resting for a few minutes (she hadn't realized how weak she had become) she got up and quietly made her way downstairs and outside on the path to her baby. At the same time Thomas had 'borrowed' some carrots from Mrs. Pattmore's pantry and was headed out to the stables in the short while before Carson put him to work again. Scarlett entered the stables and let her eyes adjust to the light a little before she continued down the aisle. She heard soft murmuring coming from the stall where her stallion was kept and was shocked to see Thomas in the open stall door quietly talking to Storm. A small smile split her face for the first time in weeks and Thomas turned just in time to see it light up her eyes minutely.

"It's good to see someone hasn't been neglecting him in the last few weeks."

"I hope you don't mind, but I've just been coming out and keeping an eye on him and taking care of him for you. I knew you wouldn't trust those stable boys to know how to handle him and his big attitude."

"I'm glad you remember me telling you that, and I see you have been riding him as well," interrupted Scarlett with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you could sit a horse Thomas."

"There is much you don't know about me milady," he said with a smirk as he repeated her words of so long ago back to her.

"That I don't, but I hope we can get to know each other better in the coming while as we start to get back to normal."

Thomas was shocked and had an unusual tinge of pink on his ears at this statement and all he could do was nod in reply before checking his watch and realizing he needed to get back immediately. He excused himself and quickly headed back to the house. Scarlett breathed in the refreshing smells of her safe place and cursed herself for not coming out here sooner. It was high time that she started acted like a normal human being again and taking care of Storm and heading back inside to help her Mama later was as good a start as she could manage in one day.

As Lord Grantham was on his way back from his daily walk with Isis he stopped by the stables as he did everyday since Scarlett had begun keeping to her bed and looked into the stable expecting to see nobody but the stable boys. He was so pleased to see his youngest daughter moving around and talking quietly away to the horses as she had her entire life. Life was starting to straighten out a little at Downton as he nodded once in approval and continued back up the path to his home.

**Author's Note: Sorry it has been so long since I updated and this is a little bit of a filler chapter, but it is important to get a little bit of history and get some of this sadness out of the way. Thanks for reading! Please please review! Any feedback is good feedback. Thanks!**


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